Culturally Responsive Educator (Training Specialist)

DUTIES:

Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES anticipates a full-time vacancy for a Culturally Responsive Educator to join our Lower Hudson Regional Partnership Center, part of our PNW BOCES Professional Learning Division and the NYSED Office of Special Education’s Educational Partnership. This is a ten-month position with the potential for up to 20 days of work during the summer.

The Culturally Responsive Educator will provide training, technical assistance, and on-site coaching to school staff in districts across the Lower Hudson region on topics related to effective instructional practices for students who are multilingual/English language learners with suspected or identified disabilities, e.g.

• Fundamentals of Equity: Exploring Equity and Cultural Responsiveness;
• Creating Welcoming and Affirming Learning Environments;
• Fostering High Expectations and Rigorous Instruction; and
• Distinguishing Language Acquisition from Disability.

The Culturally Responsive Educator will work collaboratively with other RPC specialists, Family and Community Engagement specialists, and associates from the Hudson Valley Special Education Quality Assurance (SEQA) office to facilitate school and district systems change work, through the development and implementation of improvement plans focused on improving outcomes of students with disabilities.

The Culturally Responsive Educator will collaborate with district leaders to collect, analyze, and monitor data to address disproportionate outcomes of students with disabilities, and implement practices and systems to reduce disproportionality.

The Culturally Responsive Educator will facilitate root cause analyses to identify barriers impacting disproportionate achievement and inclusion for students with disabilities.

The Culturally Responsive Educator will document work and submit all reporting in accordance with NYSED OSE requirements. The Culturally Responsive Educator is required to regularly travel to schools and other meeting locations across the Lower Hudson Region.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree or higher in special education, psychology, school psychology, TESOL, bilingual/multilingual education, and/or a related field, required.
• NYSED licensure in teaching special education, psychology, school psychology, TESOL, and/or a related field, required.
• Minimum five years’ experience as a special education teacher, psychologist, school psychologist, or related service provider for culturally and/or linguistically diverse students with disabilities, preferred.
• Minimum three years’ experience leading professional learning, instructional coaching, and/or school improvement/systems change work, preferred.

CHARACTERISTICS DESIRED:

• Unwavering commitment to the PNW BOCES Core Value of Pathways to Success for Every Student and improving outcomes of students with disabilities.
• Possess a we can do that attitude.
• Excellent training, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, including the ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in improving outcomes of students with disabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze student, practice, and system data to determine impact and fidelity of implementation.
• Strong command of web-based meeting and presentation platforms; e.g. Zoom, Microsoft Teams.
• Strong understanding of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.
• Strong knowledge of the NYSED Blueprint for Improved Results for Students with Disabilities and NYSED Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state special education laws, regulations, and policies; e.g. IDEA, Section 504, NYSED Part 200 Regulations, NYSED SPP Indicators.
• Willingness and ability to regularly travel by car to schools and meeting locations across the Lower Hudson region.

Non-Discrimination & Equal Opportunity:

Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES offers equal educational and employment opportunities, including career and technical education opportunities, without regard to age, religion, race, creed, color, national origin, sex, disability, marital status, military status, sexual orientation, predisposing genetic characteristics, as defined by New York State Human Rights Law.

To access the Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity policy, please click here.